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SB26-168 • 2026

Transparency of Legislative Caucuses' Money

The bill requires any 2 or more legislators who organize themselves according to a common interest, ideology, issue, identity, or for any other reason and who accept, receive, or expend money, other t

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Sen. M. Weissman, Rep. Y. Zokaie
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date and enforcement details are contingent on further actions such as the filing of a referendum petition.

Transparency of Legislative Caucuses' Money

This bill requires legislative caucuses to submit quarterly financial reports detailing all money received, accepted, or spent and makes these reports publicly available on the General Assembly's website.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires legislative caucuses to submit a report every quarter detailing all money received, accepted, or expended during the previous quarter.
  • Specifies that the Legislative Council Staff must post each report on the General Assembly's website for public access.
  • Requres legislative caucuses to provide accurate contact information and update it promptly if there are any changes.
  • Requires a no activity report from legislative caucuses if they did not receive, accept, or spend money in a quarter.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Legislative caucuses that organize based on common interests, ideologies, issues, identities, or other reasons and handle money.
  • The Legislative Council Staff who will manage the reporting process and post reports online.

Terms To Know

legislative caucus
A group of two or more legislators organized according to a common interest, ideology, issue, identity, or other reason that handles money.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not apply to committees created by statute or legislative rules, nor to committees governed by Article 45 of Title 1.
  • It is unclear how the reporting requirements will be enforced and what penalties might exist for non-compliance.
  • The effective date depends on whether a referendum petition is filed against this act.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs

Official Summary Text

The bill requires any 2 or more legislators who organize themselves according to a common interest, ideology, issue, identity, or for any other reason and who accept, receive, or expend money, other than their own private, personal money (legislative caucus) to deliver to the legislative council staff a quarterly report that lists all money that the legislative caucus received, accepted, or expended during the previous quarter. The legislative council staff is required to post each report received on a publicly accessible page on the website of the general assembly.
Each legislative caucus is required to provide the legislative council staff with accurate contact information for the caucus and shall promptly inform the legislative council staff of any changes to that contact information. A legislative caucus that does not receive, accept, or expend any money in a quarter shall file a no activity report as prescribed by the legislative council staff.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0972.01 Caroline Martin x5902 SENATE BILL 26-168
Senate Committees House Committees
State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING THE REPORTING OF MONEY HANDLED BY LEGISLATIVE101
CAUCUSES, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, REQUIRING EACH102
LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS TO REPORT MONEY ACCEPTED, RECEIVED,103
AND EXPENDED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STAFF AND104
REQUIRING THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STAFF TO PUBLICLY105
POST FINANCIAL REPORTS.106
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires any 2 or more legislators who organize
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Weissman,
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Zokaie,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
themselves according to a common interest, ideology, issue, identity, or
for any other reason a nd who ac cept, receive, or expend money, other
than their own private, personal money (legislative caucus) to deliver to
the legislative council staff a quarterly report that lists all money that the
legislative caucus received, accepted, or expended during the previous
quarter. The legislative council staff is required to post each report
received on a publicly accessible page on the website of the general
assembly.
Each legislative caucus is required to provide the legislative
council staff with accurate contact information for the caucus and shall
promptly inform the legislative council staff of any changes to that
contact information. A legislative caucus that does not receive, accept, or
expend any money in a quarter shall file a no activity report as prescribed
by the legislative council staff.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-6-204 as2
follows:3
24-6-204. Reporting by legislative caucuses - receipts and4
expenditures - definition.5
(1) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE6
REQUIRES, "LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS " MEANS ANY TWO OR MORE7
LEGISLATORS WHO ORGANIZE THEMSELVES ACCORDING TO A COMMON8
INTEREST, IDEOLOGY, ISSUE, IDENTITY, OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON, AND9
WHO ACCEPT , RECEIVE , OR EXPEND MONEY , OTHER THAN THEIR OWN10
PRIVATE, PERSONAL MONEY, AT ANY TIME. A LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS DOES11
NOT INCLUDE:12
(a) A COMMITTEE, BOARD, OR COMMISSION THAT IS CREATED BY13
STATUTE OR LEGISLATIVE RULE , OR TO WHICH LEGISLATORS ARE14
APPOINTED BY LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP; OR15
(b) A COMMITTEE GOVERNED BY ARTICLE 45 OF TITLE 1.16
(2) (a) O NE MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FROM EACH17
SB26-168-2-
LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SHALL DELIVER TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL1
STAFF, ON THE FOLLOWING DATES , A REPORT PREPARED IN A MANNER2
PRESCRIBED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STAFF THAT INCLUDES3
RECEIPTS LISTING ALL MONEY AND ITEMS THAT THE LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS4
RECEIVED, ACCEPTED, OR EXPENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING PERIODS DURING5
WHICH THE LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS WAS ACTIVE:6
(I) ON JANUARY 15, A REPORT COVERING OCTOBER 1 THROUGH7
DECEMBER 31 OF THE PREVIOUS CALENDAR YEAR;8
(II) O N APRIL 15, A REPORT COVERING JANUARY 1 THROUGH9
MARCH 31 OF THE SAME CALENDAR YEAR;10
(III) ON JULY 15, A REPORT COVERING APRIL 1 THROUGH JUNE 3011
OF THE SAME CALENDAR YEAR; AND12
(IV) O N OCTOBER 15, A REPORT COVERING JULY 1 THROUGH13
SEPTEMBER 30 OF THE SAME CALENDAR YEAR.14
(b) I F A DATE UPON WHICH A REPORT IS DUE AS LISTED IN15
SUBSECTION (2)(a) OF THIS SECTION FALLS ON A WEEKEND OR A STATE16
HOLIDAY, THE DUE DATE IS MOVED TO THE FIRST WORKING DAY17
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SUCH WEEKEND OR HOLIDAY.18
(3) EACH LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS SHALL PROVIDE THE LEGISLATIVE19
COUNCIL STAFF WITH ACCURATE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE20
LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS AND SHALL PROMPTLY INFORM THE LEGISLATIVE21
COUNCIL STAFF OF ANY CHANGES TO THAT CONTACT INFORMATION. THE22
CONTACT INFORMATION MUST INCLUDE THE LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS'S:23
(a) OFFICIAL NAME;24
(b) MAILING ADDRESS;25
(c) PRIMARY EMAIL ADDRESS; AND26
(d) D ESIGNATED MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHO IS27
SB26-168-3-
AUTHORIZED TO SEND AND RECEIVE OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS ON1
BEHALF OF THE LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS, INCLUDING THE MEMBER'S CONTACT2
INFORMATION.3
(4) A RECEIPT LISTING MONEY THAT A LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS4
RECEIVED OR ACCEPTED AS REQUIRED BY SUBSECTION (2) OF THIS SECTION5
MUST INCLUDE, AT A MINIMUM:6
(a) THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE DONOR;7
(b) THE AMOUNT OF MONEY RECEIVED OR ACCEPTED; AND8
(c) THE DATE THE MONEY WAS RECEIVED OR ACCEPTED.9
(5) THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STAFF SHALL POST EACH REPORT10
RECEIVED PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (2) OF THIS SECTION ON A PUBLICLY11
ACCESSIBLE PAGE ON THE WEBSITE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY . THE12
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STAFF SHALL REDACT FROM EACH REPORT THE13
ADDRESS OF EACH DONOR TO A LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS BEFORE THE REPORT14
IS POSTED.15
(6) ANY PERSON WHO PROVIDES A LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS WITH AN16
ITEM SHALL , AT THE TIME THE ITEM IS PROVIDED , FURNISH THE17
LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS WITH A WRITTEN STATEMENT OF THE DOLLAR VALUE18
OF THE ITEM.19
(7) A LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS THAT DOES NOT RECEIVE, ACCEPT, OR20
EXPEND ANY MONEY OR ITEMS WITHIN A PERIOD LISTED IN SUBSECTION (2)21
OF THIS SECTION SHALL FILE A NO ACTIVITY REPORT AS PRESCRIBED BY22
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STAFF.23
SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date -24
applicability. (1) This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following25
the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the26
general assembly (August 12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13,27
SB26-168-4-
2026); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 11
(3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section,2
or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part3
will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election4
to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the5
date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.6
(2) This act applies to actions taken and money and items7
received, accepted, or expended on or after October 1, 2026.8
SB26-168-5-